


Secrets

by Enide_Dear



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Dwarves, Elves, Humour, Jewlery, M/M, my usual cup of tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:29:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26616739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enide_Dear/pseuds/Enide_Dear
Summary: Legolas is searching throough Mirkwoods treasury for a suitable wedding gift for Gimli. He gets unexpected help.
Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf
Comments: 21
Kudos: 296
Collections: The Two Thousand Fics on AO3 Gigolas Challenge





	Secrets

Too dainty, too gaudy, too...elven. Legolas sighed as he rifled through the Mirkwood treasury; he'd seldom been in here but it wasn't as if the guard would stop the Prince from entering if he wanted to, not pick out any jewelry that took his fancy. But they'd still given him surprised looks, and no wonder. The only jewelry his father had ever managed to get him to wear was the Princely tiara and even that only on the most prestigious political affairs, like the crowning of a new High King of Gondor.

But here he was now, completely voluntary going slightly mad over the lack of appropriate jewelry. There was a limited selection of small caskets and treasure boxes and he'd all but gone through them all already, finding his father's favorite rings and necklaces (out of the question and also a bit too gaudy) his late mother's tiaras and earrings (wildly inappropriate and far too feminine) a few of his own childhood trinkets (too childish) a number of lesser brooches and other knickknacks (too cheap not to say downright ugly). If only he'd had some talent for forging himself but he was woefully inadequate to the task.

Perhaps, he mused as he held up a golden brooch with a perching bird he'd been given on his coming of age day a thousand years ago or so, perhaps he could bring these to the smithery and have it recast? Yes, that was not a bad idea, now he just needed some inspiration as to what he wanted the outcome to look like....

"Legolas?" The soft, sleepy voice made him jump. His father was old enough that he seldom needed sleep at all anymore but Legolas had made sure Thranduil had withdrawn to his chambers before quickly hurrying to the treasury. And yet here his father was, hair braided away from the face and wrapped in a silk dressing gown, looking tired but confused. "Are you in here?"

Legolas quickly went through every curse word in elven, Westron and dwarven he'd learned during his time in the Fellowship - but only mentally. His father did not approve of swearing.

"Yes father." He held up the brooch. "I am just...looking for something."

"Oh?" Intrigued by his son unexpected interest, Thranduil stepped inside and placed the candlestick he'd been holding on the table next to the boxes. The warm light the jewels sparkled stronger - or maybe it was the proximity to the Elf King that made them react. There was a similar, familiar glitter in Thranduil's eyes and a shrewd glint as he looked to his son. "Looking for yourself or for someone else?"

There was no hiding from someone who had known his all his life. Legolas sighed and put down the brooch. He could almost feel his cheeks turning red.

"For someone else."

"My little leaf." Cool, strong hands caressed his burning cheek. "There is no need to feel embarrassed. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you had given your heart during this quest and I am so happy for you. So, a wooing gift? Perhaps something like this?" It didn't surprise Legolas the least that his father could stick his hand right into a treasure box and come up with exactly what he'd been thinking of. It was a beautiful and intricately wrought ring in the shape of an eternal wave on the sea, made of mithril and encrusted with pearls and turquois.

"It's beautiful father but a bit too....feminine." Legolas knew he blushed again.

"Oh no need, no need." his father smiled and waved his hand. "I am not one of those prejudice Men who thinks love is confined to proliferation. As long as you are happy..." He suddenly cut himself of and his eyes turned as hard as the diamonds surrounding him. "It's not one of Elrond's spawns, is it?!"

"Eh, no father." Legolas had absolutely no idea how to continue this discussion which simultaneously went better than he'd ever dreamt and worse than he'd ever expected.

"And that includes that unwashed ranger...."

"Aragorn is High King of Gondor now! And married. And no, it is no Man." That was true, at least. Not that it helped.

Thnraduil visibly relaxed and went over to another box.

"Something for a warrior then. I have to say, i enjoy this guessing game. Is it Glorfindel? I always thought he was very strapping, for a Noldori. You can't go wrong with Balrog slaying skills. No? A shame, I know I have a beautiful golden flower tiara here somewhere. One of the Warden triplets in Lorien? I've always been on very good terms with Haldir, I know some people find him aloof and arrogant but really one had to keep up a certain appearance, especially to mortals and his colouring would give us a reason to use the yellow and blue stones that really do not go with our complexion..."

As his father prattled away, all Legolas could think of saying was.

"He has red hair. Much redder than anyone I've seen before."

Thranduil probably hadn't looked that delighted since the birth of his son.

"Oh really?! That is most unusual!" he hurried over to a shelf and lifted down a box that didn't look like it had been disturbed for a long time. "Gold and black goes so well with red! Alas, we haven't had use for these of centuries!" He lifted out a necklace of black, set with red gold like flames. It was absolutely stunning. It was also...

"A bit too elven." Legolas managed croak.

Thranduil laughed.

"Well of course....what?!" He said stunned.

Legolas closed his eyes.

"Too...elven."

There was silence.

"You said it wasn't a Man." Thranduil asked with a bit of thunder in his voice.

"It is not."

"And now you tell me it is not an Elf." More thunder.

Legolas could see Hobbit/Orc/Dragon/Nazgul flitter past his father eyes with increasing levels of horror. He took a deep breath and just spat it out.

"I need you to help me find a wedding gift for a dwarf and I need you to not ask any questions about it." 

There was absolute silence. Then Thranduil said, very carefully. 

"Only if you also do not ask why."

From a hidden corner he pulled out a small casket with a completely different kind of ornamentation than the others. He opened it and Legolas looked down on a dwarven treasury of hair clasps, beard ornamentations, dwarf-deco styled gold chains, diamond crowns and jewel encrusted belt buckles. 

Legolas found no words. From the look of it, neither did Thranduil. 

Both elves' eyes met in an unspoken 'you have a lot of questions and I have a lot of questions and we will never talk about this again' glance and then Legolas reached down and picked up the one object that shone out to him - a marvellous hair clasp of mithril and onyx. 

"This one is perfect."

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the Lonely Mountain:

"I don't care how traditional it is, I can't give him a ring father, it will get stuck in the bow string and rip his finger off!"

"That's what you get for getting engaged with a bloody archer!"

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I have no idea if Thranduil stole that stuff from Thorin and co or if he was trying to woo Thorin at some point, so just pick whatever you think would be funniest 🙂


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